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Early admissions of liability, based on an overall assessment of the likely outcome of a contested trial, are a common occurrence in personal injury cases. However, the weight of the evidence may subsequently shift and, in a guideline ruling, the High Court...
Landowners intent on developing their properties can find it intensely annoying when neighbours resist their plans. However, as a High Court ruling made plain, the right to object to planning applications is one of the benefits of living in a democratic...
Those who attempt to lie their way to a favourable result in divorce proceedings are more than likely to be found out and hit hard in the pocket. That was certainly so in the case of an elderly entrepreneur who treated his ex-wife's financial claims as if...
Borrowers who take out loans at high rates of interest with their eyes wide open may have only themselves to blame. As a High Court case showed , however, such loans may be vulnerable to arguments that they amount to a penalty or are the product of an...
Even where there is a clear-cut answer to the question of who is to blame for a road accident, assessing the damages due to victims requires the highest level of professional skill. That was certainly so in the case of a taxi driver who suffered devastating...
People may be blinkered, difficult and downright ruthless but that does not mean that they are incapable of making a rational will. The High Court made that point in the case of a highly successful businessman who all but disinherited his children. By his...
Many families whose loved ones are in hospital on life support understandably cling to the hope that they will in time recover. As a High Court ruling showed, however, where such hopes run contrary to the weight of expert medical evidence, judges have the...
There will always sadly be a few accident victims who exaggerate their injuries with a view to maximising their compensation. A High Court ruling, however, showed the extent of legal and surveillance resources that insurance companies are willing to deploy...
Many householders are familiar with the often traumatic experience of falling out with builders. However, as a High Court case showed , if their work is not up to scratch or left unfinished, lawyers will bend every sinew to ensure that fair compensation is...
Judges frequently impress on divorcing couples that it is in their own best interests to put conflict behind them and focus on achieving a sensible resolution. However, as a case in which a couple spent £8.4 million fighting over money and their...
An important Court of Appeal ruling provided a clear warning to employers that their indirect – or vicarious – responsibility for the unlawful acts of those who work for them may not be confined to those who are formally on their payroll. The...
There is a big difference between moral and legal obligations. The High Court made that point in finding that mirror wills signed by a married couple did not impose on either of them a binding obligation not to change their bequests in future, save by...
Residential landlords who neglect their legal obligations to the point of criminality can be hit with banning orders that are likely to put them out of business. In a case of importance to property professionals, the Upper Tribunal (UT) for the first time...
Every right-thinking person would agree that those guilty of fundamental dishonesty in their pursuit of personal injury claims should leave court empty-handed. As a High Court ruling showed, however, defining exactly what is meant by 'fundamental' is far...
No amount of internet research can ever replace professional legal advice. A man found that out when his reliance on flawed web content very nearly cost him the opportunity to complete his family by adopting his stepson. The man applied for an adoption...
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) adopts a tough approach when considering whether a person who claims non-resident tax status has spent more than the permitted number of days in the UK. It certainly brooked no compromise in the case of a woman who ended up with...
It is quite common for people to get married in the knowledge that they only have a short while to live. However, as a High Court ruling underlined , such a step is often fraught with legal difficulty in terms of inheritance and should never be taken...
A woman's financial claims against her ex-husband following their overseas divorce did not survive his death. In reaching that conclusion, the Supreme Court noted that the case had exposed a defect in the law that can only be remedied by Parliament. After...
If you suffer an accident at work that is not your fault, you can be reassured that a good personal injury lawyer will see to it that you are compensated fairly. In a case on point, a tree surgeon who was struck by a falling branch was awarded six-figure...
A new ruling by the Welsh Government is set to make drastic changes to the speed limit on many roads in Wales, with the speed limit to be lowered to 20mph in Wales. In a vote held in the Senedd on July 12 th , 2022, the Welsh government voted in favour of a...
Even if you do not hold legal title to a plot of land, you may well be entitled to have it transferred into your name if you have been in adverse possession of it for over 10 years and you have reasonably believed throughout that it belongs to you. That is ...
Some people who trade online do so in the fond hope that the income they generate will fall beneath the tax authorities' radar. A tax tribunal ruling that left one such trader on the verge of bankruptcy showed how very wrong they are. On his relevant tax...
Motorists who believe that it is always safe to drive just below the speed limit are guilty of a fundamental misunderstanding of the Highway Code. A judge made that point in guaranteeing substantial compensation for a child who was run down and severely...
Couples who enter into pre- or post-marital agreements with their eyes open and with the benefit of legal advice can expect to be bound by them. The High Court made that point in a so-called 'big money' divorce case in which an extremely wealthy woman's...
Making a valid will requires an exercise of independent decision-making, free from the undue influence of others. The High Court powerfully made that point in finding that a daughter coerced her ailing mother into bequeathing everything to her. The mother...
For businesses found liable in personal injury proceedings, the reputational damage can be every bit as serious as the financial consequences. As a case concerning a theme park operator showed, however, they are entitled to have their arguments carefully...
One good reason why professional conveyancing is always required is that lurking in the title deeds of a great many properties are clauses that may heavily restrict their development or any future use to which they can be put. One such clause came under...
For British holidaymakers who are injured overseas, obtaining justice can prove a significant challenge. However, as the case of a woman who suffered a life-changing accident on her Spanish honeymoon showed, specialist personal injury lawyers are nothing if...
When a person goes missing without trace, the fact that their assets are left in limbo often adds to the agony suffered by their loved ones. However, as a High Court ruling in a very sad case showed , such impasses can if necessary be broken by a judicial...
Tax avoidance schemes are not always effective and can have serious unforeseen consequences. In a telling case on point, a man was required to pay the entirety of the Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) due on a seven-figure property transaction, a bill that he would...
In many road accident cases, assessing where responsibility lies is anything but a straightforward exercise. However, this difficulty was successfully tackled in a seven-figure settlement of a catastrophically injured pedestrian's claim. The middle-aged...
Judges are not expected to sit placidly on the bench, silently listening to barristers' arguments. However, as a Court of Appeal ruling in a case of critical importance to the future of two children showed , there comes a point where excessive judicial...
Children who suffer sexual abuse are entitled both to see their tormentors punished by the criminal law and to damages. In a case on point, a young woman who was violently preyed upon by a charity employee received a six-figure award. When in her mid-teens,...
Included in most people's wills is a clause that has the effect of revoking all their previous wills. Such straightforward provisions are usually uncontentious but, as a guideline Court of Appeal ruling showed, they can give rise to difficulties where a...
CCTV cameras are nowadays ubiquitous in public places and can greatly ease the task of accident reconstruction experts. As a case involving a young man who was struck by a train showed, however, imperfectly positioned cameras or gaps in footage can still...
Homeless applicants for public housing have a right to expect more than unthinking and mechanistic responses from local authorities. In powerfully making that point , a judge described aspects of a council's handling of a young family's case as nothing...
It is every parent's worst nightmare to be accused of injuring their child. However, as a Family Court ruling showed , such allegations are subject to intense judicial scrutiny, which in some cases results in complete exoneration. An autistic toddler was...
When making your will, the general rule is that you are free to leave your assets to whomsoever you wish. However, as a High Court case concerning ownership of a thriving family business showed , such testamentary freedom may be restricted by agreements...
It is often impossible to discern with absolute certainty the cause of road accidents that occur in the twinkling of an eye. As a case concerning a couple who were injured in the back of a taxi showed, however, judges are well versed at seeing where the...
Even acts of generosity can lead to litigation if the basis for them is not professionally documented. That was sadly so in the case of a businessman who stepped forward to rescue close family friends from the threat of homelessness. A couple with five...
Tenants have a right peacefully to enjoy their homes, free from harassment by their landlords. A judge succinctly made that point in awarding substantial compensation to a couple whose landlord was anxious to see the back of them so he could refurbish and...
Dangerous drivers leave chaos in their wake, but it can be hard to identify them, let alone hold them legally responsible for the accidents they cause. However, in one striking case, personal injury lawyers surmounted that challenge and achieved a good...
Couples who move in together commonly believe that their shares in the property will reflect their respective financial contributions to the purchase price or mortgage. As a High Court ruling made plain, however, such assumptions are often mistaken in that...
When married British couples separate whilst living overseas, it is quite common for competing divorce petitions to be issued both in England and abroad. A High Court ruling provided a useful illustration of the judicial approach to jurisdictional issues ...
If you are unlawfully arrested or detained by the police, the law will see to it that you are compensated fairly. In a case on point, a window cleaner who was arrested and held in custody after a financial dispute with a customer reached boiling point was...
When making your will, you may, for one reason or another, choose to distribute your estate unevenly between your loved ones. However, as a High Court ruling showed , you are under an overriding duty to make reasonable provision for members of your family...
No two personal injury cases are the same and assessing the appropriate amount of damages always requires expert professional judgment. That was certainly so in the case of a young man who sustained a catastrophic brain injury when he was struck by a car in...
Those who seek the protection of the law with metaphorical dirty hands are likely to receive short shrift. An Employment Tribunal (ET) powerfully made that point in the case of a religious leader who had engaged in tax evasion. The man launched...
Pre-nuptial agreements (PNAs) which are not entered into freely or which have unfair results will generally not be worth the paper they are written on. However, as a High Court case showed, judges are far more likely to treat them as valid if they are signed...
Many neighbours' disputes may, at least to an outsider, appear trifling. However, as a High Court ruling showed , they matter very much to those involved and, in the absence of amicable negotiation, they can very easily become ruinously expensive. A...
